The town of Porter is making the first move toward closing the joint police dispatch center with Chesterton and consolidating operations with the Porter County E-911 system.
The Town Council on Tuesday discussed an ordinance that calls for the two towns to mutually terminate the agreement on their dispatch center.
Council President William Lopez, D-Ward 3, said that the goal is for the joint dispatch center to close by Oct. 1.
Attorney Jack Walton, who was filling in as the town attorney Tuesday, said the proposed mutual termination agreement was sent over to Chesterton Town Attorney Connor Nolan for their review, but he hasn’t heard back from them.
As a result, Councilman Don Craft, D-Ward 2, moved that the Porter Town Council table the ordinance until they hear back from Chesterton.
Councilman James Burge, I-Ward 4, said he believed that Porter should take the lead on this but no other council members agreed with him.
Porter and Chesterton last month announced their intention to close their joint police dispatch center.
The change was prompted by the Porter County Commissioners on April 1 enacting a new standard operating procedure for its Porter County E-911 system. The 911 calls received by the county dispatch would no longer be transferred to the Chesterton/Porter dispatch center.
Porter explored the possibility of trying to retain its part of the police dispatch operation, including a potential merger with the National Park System dispatch, but it didn’t work out. Councilwoman Laura Madigan, D-Ward 1, said she wanted to keep the dispatch center as long as possible.
In other business, the council approved obtaining a $1.65 million general obligation bond to finance capital improvements.
The bond will be used mostly toward financing the purchase of a slightly used 2024 ladder truck for $1.35 million from Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus in Union Grove, Ala.
Fire Chief Jay Craig Jr. said the ladder truck replaces a 26-year-old fire engine and substantially increases the capabilities of the town’s volunteer fire department. Craig said that a similar new ladder truck would cost around $2 million.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
